What Really Matters
by Black Butterfly Wings
Summary: When Ryou loses his most important person, Malik is there to help him pick up the pieces, but why?
1. Chapter 1

Note: This is for the Angstshipping round of the contest I'm in. And for all of you who are easily confused, I call the hikari Marik, because that's the better name and he's the better character. Yes, this is absolute shit. I DON'T CARE IT IT'S OOC!

Disclaimer: Because you're stupid enough to think that just because I don't use a disclaimer that I own Yu-Gi-Oh, I've now decided to take drastic action against your stupidity. –holds up jar with your soul in it- If you're stupid enough to think I own Yu-Gi-Oh, I will steal your soul and destroy it –fills the jar with the soul in it with acid and watches it scream in pain as its melted- THAT WAS FUN!

What Really Matters:

A cold, gentle rain fell upon the graveyard.

Ryou stood in the rain, staring at the freshly dug grave. He was wearing the nicest suit his limited income could afford, but he felt as though he might as well be naked. He couldn't have felt more exposed even if he _had_ been naked.

Being without half of his soul…

Tears filled his eyes but refused to fall, his face stinging from the cool rain.

All he wanted was for all this to be just a dream. He hoped that he would wake up at any moment and be lying next to Bakura, and that his death was only a nightmare.

He sighed sadly, knowing that this was in fact, reality. No matter how much he wished for it to be a fantasy-gone-wrong, it wouldn't change the truth.

Chills too cold to be caused by the weather rippled throughout his body as he felt a hand touch his shoulder from behind.

"Go away," he choked.

The hand's grip tightened on his shoulder. He knew this was an attempt at comfort, even though it was rather unnerving and unwanted contact.

"Ryou…" came the softer-than-usual voice from the darker teen behind him.

"Go away!" the snowy haired boy choked again, trying not to scream.

"Ryou… He was my friend too…"

"I said go away!" the smaller one yelled, violently jerking himself away from the other.

"Ryou, we can't survive this alone, but together we can heal. We were all he had, and even in death, we still need to be there."

"Go away and leave me alone!" the crying boy screamed as he ran across the graveyard as fast as his fragile lets would carry him.

Marik just stood where he was, watching Ryou try to run from the world. Tears formed in his eyes as he turned to the fresh grave of his former accomplice in crime.

"I'm sorry Bakura…" and with a heavy sigh he walked away, leaving the cemetery in the opposite the direction that Ryou was fleeing.

---(change of scene)---

Depressed, Marik sighed as he slipped behind the bar.

'_Why do I have to work tonight? Why can't I just take off and sleep?'_ he thought to himself as he obediently began mixing the drink orders that his customers called to him.

His hair was pulled back in a loose tail at the base of his neck. His hair combined with his tidy, white button up uniform shirt rendered him nearly unrecognizable to anyone who knew him.

"Martini!"

"Scotch on the rocks!"

"Tornado!"

He skillfully sent all of these drink orders sliding down the bar to their respectful places.

The look on his face made it seem like he was rather bored, but really it was just a mask hiding the tears he wanted so badly to cry.

"Bloody Mary…" came a weak whisper from the end of the bar.

He had his face down on the bar and his matted white hair seemed to have a will of it's own.

Marik's eyes widened as he took in the sight.

"Ryou!?" he cried as he rushed to the intoxicated boy's side.

The miserable boy cringed at the volume of Marik's voice and gagged, trying to hold his liquor. He whimpered pathetically, fighting to keep conscious.

Panicked, Marik gently lifted Ryou from his barstool and carried him towards the door.

"Someone cover my shift!" he yelled behind him, vanishing outside.

Ryou began convulsing, vomiting on himself and Marik.

The larger teen tightened his grip on the weakened boy. He wasn't at all upset about being covered in sickness as he was concerned for Ryou's well-being.

He quickly carried Ryou the two blocks to his apartment. Once inside, he laid him gently down in his bed.

A weak moan escaped Ryou as he was moved on the bed. He began convulsing again, covering himself in a fresh layer of sickness.

Marik reached into his bedside drawer and pulled out a therapeutic oil and a cloth. Putting the oil onto the cloth, he rubbed it against Ryou's face and neck, holding it momentarily over his nose and mouth until his body fell limp.

He carefully removed Ryou's clothes and cleaned the sickness from him. Knowing that the younger boy would feel shamed if he were to wake without clothing, he placed the him in a pair of his own pajamas.

Using traditional healing remedies, he tended to Ryou as best he could.

He sat on the floor leaning over the edge of the bed, gently stroking the soft white hair as if to calm the both of them.

"You'll pull through little one… If you're anything like your other half, you'll pull through just fine…" he whispered into Ryou's ear.

---(time lapse)---

Chocolate eyes slowly opened, unable to focus on their surroundings.

He tried pushing himself up, but his head and body were weak and throbbing. He ended his sluggish movements and just listened to his surroundings, trying to figure out where he was.

He could hear someone else's breathing, causing the hairs on his arms and neck to stand on end.

"Who's there?" he asked quietly.

"I am…" Marik whispered in response.

"…Marik?" Ryou's unfocused eyes widened.

"Yeah…"

"What happened?" he asked hoarsely.

"You drank yourself into unconsciousness. I brought you to my place and treated you for alcohol poisoning." Marik replied, standing up and tidying up around the bed.

"Why do I still feel so sick?" the white haired boy whimpered.

He couldn't help the small grin that spread across his lips. Ryou's innocence was refreshing to be around.

"It's called a hangover, and after how much you drank, be happy that you aren't dead."

"Did I really drink that much?"

"Yeah, you did. Even Bakura knew better than to drink that much in one sitting."

They both seemed to flinch at the mention of the name. That wound was still fresh for both of them. He resumed tidying up his apartment, trying to ignore Ryou's pain filled silence.

---(a few hours later)---

"What do you want to eat Ryou?" Marik asked quietly from the little patio overlooking the street.

"The thought of eating makes me want to throw up again…" he replied, trying not to gag.

"Fair enough" Marik sighed, watching food delivery men walking in every which direction. He tightened his grip on the Sennen Rod and leafed through their minds as they passed.

"Jackpot," he whispered to himself as he quickly took control of a food delivery boy possessing a large pizza complete with all the extras. He used his power to have the food placed in front of his apartment door and then lead the man away again.

He opened the door a crack once he was sure that the man was gone and peeked out into the hallway. The hallway was deserted.

He quickly claimed his prize and locked the door behind him.

After consuming as much as he possibly could and leaving enough for his guest, should he feel like eating again, he returned to the tiny patio. This time his intentions were purely observant.

"You should see this Ryou… The city is always so beautiful when the sun's setting…"

Having regained some strength throughout the day, Ryou managed to pull himself over to the small balcony and sat down next to Marik, staring out at the city in bewilderment.

"I've never seen it look like this…"

"Ba-…" Marik stopped himself before he could finish saying 'Bakura'. Taking a breath he tried again.

"You're other half was the one who first showed me how beautiful the city was…"

Sick but loving eyes diverted their gaze from the horizon to the teen next to him.

"Why are you being so nice to me…?"

Marik sighed and smiled weakly.

"Because _he_ _was_ _my_ world…But _you_ were _his_ world… That being so, that makes you my world as well…."

"It seems we both loved him…" he whispered.

"And he loved both of us, but you were always first on his list."

Soft white hair rested against violet silk. The longing of his ears was met by the strong drum beating in Marik's chest. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep against the other boy; his heartbeat being his lullaby.

Marik smiled weakly and wrapped his arms around his new treasure. His silent tears finally broke free.

"Don't worry my Bakura, I'll take care of your angel for you… After all, he's what really matters now…" he whispered to the sky.

A gentle and unusually warm breeze brushed up against them, cradling them until they were both sleeping peacefully.

As he fell asleep, he could've sworn he'd heard Bakura's voice whisper the words "Thank you…"


	2. Chapter 2

Note: Originally supposed to be a one-shot, but I decided to continue it. This Chapter takes place roughly three years after the first chapter, and is more or less a drabble.

Chapter 2:

A fancy breakfast was laid out across a small table. A pot of expensive tea sat on it's lit candle to stay warm. Recently dirtied dishes were glistening and clean in the drying rack. A sweet little note ending in "I love you" sat next to a plate of small homemade pastries.

As usual, the young man whom all of this splendor was for was still sleeping soundly by himself under the soft, warm blankets on the queen-sized bed he shared with his lover. This was how every day began: Marik would wake up early to make a nice breakfast for Ryou and to clean up the apartment before heading off to work while Ryou slept in.

Marik had taken a second job in order to afford a better life style for Ryou. It had been quite a while since Bakura's passing, almost three years to be exact, and Ryou was finally getting back into the swing of things. Marik wanted Ryou to have what he deserved, while helping him deal with the minor, everyday things he'd been sheltered from for the last three years.

He didn't mind it, he treasured his snowy angel more than anything else. Before, he might've never thought it possible that he could ever love anyone as much as he had loved Bakura, but he found himself loving Ryou more and more with each passing day.

A pale nose twitched, the lovely smalls waking him. Soft brown eyes opened and looked around the small apartment, only to see yet another feast set out for him. A lazy grin crept across his lips as he sluggishly pushed back the warm covers.

After eating and tidying up the apartment, he set out for the Domino City Museum.


End file.
